David Allen
David Allen
Notable for his self-help books Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity (2001) and Making It All Work: Winning at the Game of Work and Business of Life (2008), Allen formulated a method of time management called "Getting Things Done" and founded both Actioneer, Inc. and the David Allen Company.
ProfessionEntrepreneur
Date of Birth28 December 1945
steps action projects
You don't actually do a project; you can only do action steps related to it.
decision choices challenges
Every decision to act is an intuitive one. The challenge is to migrate from hoping it's the right choice to trusting it's the right choice.
cutting cobwebs gains
Sometimes the biggest gain in productive energy will come from cleaning the cobwebs, dealing with old business, and clearing the desks—cutting loose debris that's impeding forward motion.
taken done outcomes
You don't actually do a project; you can only do action steps related to it. When enough of the right action steps have been taken, some situation will have been created that matches your initial picture of the outcome closely enough that you can call it "done.
thinking people mind
Use your mind to think about things, rather than think of them. You want to be adding value as you think about projects and people, not simply reminding yourself they exist.
inspirational wisdom powerful
You can do anything, but not everything.
inspirational encouraging encouragement
If you don't pay appropriate attention to what has your attention, it will take more of your attention than it deserves.
moving people chairs
Some people have to move, physically, to "get" something. But if you're stuck in a chair, that's not your limitation - it's simply not an optimal condition for you.
agreement anxiety guilt
The sense of anxiety and guilt doesn't come from having too much to do; it's the automatic result of breaking agreements with yourself.
community able helpful
It was helpful to be able to call a lawyer...it turns out, that not only did they help me, but they really helped the whole community...
moving people focus
Most people move actually into high performance in a crisis because that creates the kind of focus that creates high performance.
You won't see how to do it until you see yourself doing it.
motivation impact done
Small things done consistently, in strategic places, create major impact.
procrastination ideas mind
Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.